The railroad industry employs a variety of railroad cars and particularly freight railroad cars for transporting different types of products. The braking systems on freight railroad cars have conventionally been pneumatically controlled and operated. The locomotive typically provides the air pressure for such pneumatically controlled and operated braking systems. The typical freight railroad car braking system automatically applies the brakes in the absence of a sufficient level of air pressure and automatically releases the brakes in the presence of the sufficient level of air pressure. In such pneumatically controlled and operated braking systems, the brakes on all of the freight railroad cars in a train are typically either in a set mode or in a released mode (except during changing air pressure conditions such as when the air pressure is changing to apply or release the brakes due to time required for the change in air pressure to reach each of the railroad cars in the train).
There is a long recognized need in the railroad industry for braking systems that separately or individually control the brakes of each individual freight railroad car. This individual control would facilitate the braking system on each freight railroad car being remotely operated by the train engineer from the locomotive cab. This would provide many advantages. For example, this allows for graduated braking on and graduated braking off.
There are several ways this can be done with a suitable computer system that enables signals to be sent to selected freight railroad cars or to an individual car from a central location, i.e., the locomotive, which would permit the brakes of one or more of the freight railroad cars to be applied independently of the operation of the brakes in other freight railroad cars. In addition, any electrical path from the locomotive to the freight railroad cars coupled thereto would enable electrical signals to be sent to and received from the individual freight railroad cars so that information concerning any malfunction of the braking system in each freight railroad car could be relayed to the locomotive to provide a warning signal etc.
Electrical connectors have been developed to facilitate such electrically controlled (or electro-pneumatically controlled) braking systems on freight railroad cars. More specifically, electrical connectors have been developed to be positioned in series between each set of adjacent freight railroad cars (in the area of the coupling devices between such adjacent freight railroad cars) so that electric signals can be sent to any such freight railroad car for remotely activating (or integrating) various components that might be mounted to the freight railroad cars. Since either end of a freight railroad car can be positioned towards the locomotive, what has sometimes been referred to as a “hermaphroditic” electrical connector, has been commercially used at opposing ends of each freight railroad car to provide the necessary electrical connections between adjacent freight railroad cars.
Such known “hermaphroditic” electrical connectors are capable of being disconnected manually or automatically when adjacent freight railroad cars are separated. The air supply system is also disconnected on the selected freight railroad car either manually or automatically when a freight railroad car is separated from an adjacent freight railroad car whereby air pressure in the braking system for the uncoupled freight railroad cars is released, thereby automatically causing the brakes in the separated freight railroad cars to be set. Any electrical connection between the freight railroad cars must accommodate such coupling and uncoupling operation between adjacent freight railroad cars.
In addition, the electrical connector or connections must be capable of tolerating adverse weather conditions such as rain, freezing temperatures, etc.
One electrical connector for these purposes is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,196.
One known electrical connector referred to as an ECP Intercar Cable is based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,196. This electrical connector is commercially available from New York Air Brake, and used for electrically connecting freight railroad cars. More specifically, this ECP Inter-Car Cable and associated lanyard is used to connect the 230 VDC Trainline between ECP freight railroad cars and locomotives. The cable complies with the S-4210 Standard and has been approved by the AAR for use on S-4200 compliant ECP trains. The connector end is configured to enable adjacent freight railroad cars and locomotives to be easily connected and disconnected. When in operation, the cable and lanyard lengths are specified to pull apart prior to the brake pipe separating to initiate an ECP Emergency. This known electrical connector is partially illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 3, and is generally indicated by numeral 10. Various issues have arisen with this known commercially available electrical connector 10 when used in connection with freight railroad cars.
The first such issue with this known electrical connector 10 relates to the force needed to disconnect the electrical connector 10 from another identical electrical connector 10. This known electrical connector 10, when in use, has resulted in inconsistent disconnection forces to disconnect two such connected electrical connectors 10 over the life of such electrical connectors 10. More specifically, when such commercially available electrical connectors are new or relatively new, higher or greater forces are needed to disconnect two such connected electrical connectors 10. As such electrical connectors are used and repeatedly connected and disconnected over time, the amount of force needed to disconnect such electrical connectors substantially reduces over time (i.e., with successive connection and disconnection cycles). This is due in part to wear on at least one of connection walls and particularly the connection wall 20 of this known electrical connector 10 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. More specifically, FIG. 2A shows the connection wall 20 of this known commercially available electrical connector 10 before being used. FIG. 2B shows the connection wall 20 of this known commercially available electrical connector 10 after substantial use, and specifically shows the wear on the surface of connection wall 20 that occurs over time during use of this commercially available electrical connector 10.
The second issue with this known commercially available electrical connector 10 relates to the forces needed to actuate the latching mechanism of this electrical connector 10. The Association of American Railroads (“AAR”) S-4200 7.3.4 requires that the mating force of the electrical connector 10 must never increase to the point that a “normal human being” has difficulty activating the latch of the latching mechanism. This known commercially available electrical connector 10 has a latching mechanism that is or can become in various instances relatively difficult for a normal human being to manually depress to disconnect two such commercially available electrical connectors from each other. The latch of this latching mechanism of this known commercially available electrical connector 10 is shown in FIG. 3, and is generally indicated by numeral 40. This latch includes a two section actuation arm that requires a relatively high amount of force to actuate the latching button.
The third issue with this known commercially available electrical connector 10 relates to the need for this electrical connector 10 to be water tight or prevent water ingression (when two such electrical connectors are connected to each other). This known commercially available electrical connector 10, in various instances in use, has permitted water ingression, and in certain reported instances, such water ingression has caused electrical shorts. This water ingression also results in reduced ability of such commercially available electrical connectors to communicate power and electrical signals (carrying data).
The fourth issue with this known commercially available electrical connector 10 also relates to the need for this electrical connector 10 to be water tight or prevent water ingression (when two such electrical connectors are connected to each other). This known commercially available electrical connector 10 is made from a material that absorbs moisture and that changes dimensions as it absorbs such moisture. The changes in dimension can also lead to water ingression.
The fifth issue with this known commercially available electrical connector 10 relates to the potential disconnection of the electrical linkage cable assembly (and the internal wires) to the base of the electrical connector. More specifically, in certain instances, if the lanyard or chain 2 (see FIG. 4) is not connected to one of the electrical connectors or is not properly connected to one of the electrical connectors, when the two electrical connectors are pulled apart, the electrical linkage cable assembly (and the internal wires) connected to one of the electrical connectors can become disconnected from the base of that electrical connector. In certain such circumstances, the force required to pull the electrical linkage cable assembly (and the internal wires) from the base of the electrical connector is: (a) less than the force required to pull the wires from the junction box of the railroad car; and (b) also less than the force required to separate the connected electrical connectors as further described below.
Accordingly, there is a need to solve these problems, and specifically, a need for an improved electrical connector which solves these problems.